Associated Press Issues AI Guidelines

A constant in my public relations career has been the Associated Press (AP) stylebook.  I bought my first copy in 1984 (published in 1980) when I settled into my first newswriting course.  It has been updated countless times since then, providing guidance to journalists, editors, public relations practitioners, content creators and others on the do’s and don’ts of proper journalistic writing.

I don’t always agree with the recommendations (I will never use over when I mean more than, for instance) and there are certain things I just can’t commit to memory, but it is readily accessible if/when I need.

AP just released its standards for generative AI. Although AI is a valuable tool, there must be guidelines on how to use it properly, ethically and journalistically.

Among the new standards, this one stands out for me:

• Any output from a generative AI tool should be treated as unvetted source material. AP staff must apply their editorial judgment and AP’s sourcing standards when considering any information for publication.

In other words, find another source for the information and verify the accuracy of what is being generated by AI.

Good advice for journalists, good advice for PR practitioners, good advice for anyone using these tools to create content.